Entering the Bride’s hotel suite we were greeted with laughter, hugs and “good mornings.” The ladies were all clad in purple silk robes, except for the Bride who was in a white one -declaring her title in glitter on the back. They were already getting into hair and make-up. Lyndsay was in a massage chair in the center of the suite getting massaged by one of her Matrons of Honor. The suite was made complete with clouds of hairspray, flute glasses brimming with Mimosas, 2000’s tunes and Lyndsay’s gifts to her bridesmaids. Clothespinned to each box for her Bridesmaids were small chalkboards that said, “To have & to hold in case you get cold xoxo” each box contained: a throw blanket, a candle, a hanger for their dress and a silk purple robe. The gifts also included having their hair and makeup done for the wedding. This was extra special as Lyndsay was able to have one of her favorite YouTube vloggers, Sadie Piva, do her makeup. Sadie has 31,507 subscribers to her YouTube channel. Lyndsay emailed Sadie asking if she’d be interested in doing her wedding, and luckily, she was!

After catching up with the Bride and her girls, we headed upstairs to the Groom’s suite. Thomas greeted us with big smiles and an unbuttoned shirt -no really, his shirt was missing it’s buttons. Despite being on the hunt for either buttons or a shirt, he was all smiles and didn’t seem fazed by the minor mishap. His groomsmen were scattered about the hotel getting ready, so the room was considerably more empty and quiet than the females. It was quite apparent though that the gents had a fun night as there were a few stranded and empty Jack Daniel’s and Fireball bottles littering the room. However, our attention was piqued by the rustic wooden crate sitting on the couch. In it were various alcohol bottles, purple ties and small rectangular boxes labeled, “Bottle Breacher.” Thomas told us those were his gifts to the groomsman, and opened the box revealing a 50 caliber bullet molded onto a bottle opener and each one was personalized with the groomsman’s name. The groomsmen were quite fond of them as they found any and every opportunity to use them -especially during their photo shoot.

Thomas and his groomsmen were ready to go for pictures right on time at 2:00. We piled onto the party bus and headed to Downtown Portland. As soon as the doors to the bus closed, The Lion King’s “Hakuna Matata” burst through the speakers. The gentlemen all sung along and popped a bottle of champagne to pass around. There was clear camaraderie between all of these men to support Thomas. We pulled up to Tommy’s Park and made our way to The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club to grab a photo of the gentlemen doing what they like best -sharing a pint. The guys were quick to use their new “Bottle Breachers” and soon after being served, the sound of raining bottle caps filled the air followed by cheers. After toasting a glass to Thomas, the group utilized a few of Portland’s steps and inlets for photo ops. These guys were troopers through the slight rain. Upon finishing their group photos, the Groom and groomsmen hopped back on the bus and made their way to the venue, The Italian Heritage Center. The venue was decorated with lots of Pinterest inspirations that Lyndsay did herself. “It was always you” was handwritten on a chalkboard and posted outside the door. The guest favors were plant seeds and beside the favors were Lyndsay and Thomas’s engagement photos (which were featured in Real Maine Weddings!) Lyndsay’s mom did all the floral arrangements: the centerpieces, the boutonnieres, the bouquets and the throw bouquet. Everything looked beautifully done and all so original.

With one hour until the ceremony, we made our way back to the hotel to catch Lyndsay and her bridesmaids getting into their dresses. Team Bride had swapped their purple robes for dresses and were eagerly awaiting for Lyndsay to do the same. With the help of her Mom, Helen and her soon to be Mother-in-Law, Anne Marie, Lyndsay slipped into her dress surrounded by her sisters and bridesmaids. Everyone looked on in awe at the beautiful Bride in her wedding dress.The scalloped lace train gathered at her feet as her mom buttoned up the back of her dress. With a few finishing touches and a final sweep of the suite, everyone headed to the bus that would take them to the venue. They burst into song by belting out, “Going to the Chapel” The silliness from the morning slowly dissipated and a feeling of excitement blanketed the ladies as Lyndsay made her way down the road to become Mrs.Smyth.

The ceremony began as “Instrumental Piano Cover” by Randy Newman wafted through the Columbus Room at the Italian Heritage Center. The procession of beautiful bridesmaids headed towards Thomas and the officiant. The crowd stood as “A Thousand Years” by The Piano Guys filled the room. Lyndsay and her dad made their way down the aisle. Thomas awaited his Bride at the end of the aisle with a big smile. Lyndsay’s dad exchanged handshakes with Thomas and handed off the bride for the exchange of vows. The officiant, Greg Hoar, gave some advice to the couple including, “remembering to say ‘I love you,’ even on the bad days.”. During Lyndsay’s vows, as she gazed at Thomas, she managed a little laughter through her joyful tears, “I promise to laugh and cry with you, starting now.” This managed a collective chuckle through the crowd. The highlight however, was when they incorporated their nickname -Tushu- for each other into the end of their vows. It had the crowd laughing along with them. As the couple walked back up the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Smyth, the large crowd of their friends and family went crazy with applause and cheers for the couple.

With the entire bridal party, the newlyweds and their parents on the bus, we made our way to Portland’s Eastern Promenade for pictures. The rain had stopped, but the cold front had settled in and the wind coming off the ocean made for a chilly photo environment. Despite the cold and the goosebumped arms the bridal party managed to get some amazing photos. Lyndsay and Thomas were the center of their friend’s affection and attention as they set themselves up, next to and around them. The groomsmen were absolute gentlemen by offering the bridesmaids their jackets to stay warm. The bridesmaids and Lyndsay took their photos while the groomsmen occupied themselves by jumping and climbing on one of the nearby cannons. Lyndsay and Thomas take beautiful photos. As they were led away for their couple photos, I was in awe of the fluidity these two have in front of a camera. They’re complete naturals. As they made each other smile and kissed between shots it was clear these two were meant to be. They were so comfortable with each other and even better than that, the camera was able to catch all of it. The best moment of taking photos, after watching our breath puff out in front of us, was when the sun splintered through the clouds and provided natural lighting and beautiful backdrop for the gorgeous couple.

Once we made it back to the venue (after thawing out on the bus), the bridal party and Lyndsay and Thomas Smyth were announced. The new Mr. and Mrs. headed to their table, lit with fairy lights and black “Mr. and Mrs.” signs. The crowd broke for dinner before beginning speeches. Lyndsay’s Matrons of Honor, her two older sisters Morgan and Brooke shared a speech they had written together about Lynsday being their youngest sister and how they’d grown into best friends as they became adults. Thomas’s Best Man, Sean McDonnell shared that he viewed Thomas as a brother and looked forward to when Lyndsay and Thomas started a family. It was clear to see the amazing support of family and friends Lyndsay and Thomas have. The couple ventured into a game of trivia and the crowd learned that Lyndsay made the first move and Thomas is the better cook.

The cutting of the cake happened fittingly to Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend.” There were a few gestures of should we smash our cake slices into each other’s face or be good and feed it to each other in a classic sort of way. They chose the latter, although Lyndsay did smear a little frosting on Thomas’s nose, but they were mesmerized with love as they laughed about it while wiping it off. They moved right into their first dance. They made their way to the center of the dance floor and they clung to one another to Ben Rector’s “Forever Like That.” Lyndsay knew all the words and took the time to sing them into Thomas’s ear and at one point tapped him on the nose before sharing a kiss. They were the classic Bride and Groom, despite being surrounded by their loved ones, they only had eyes for each other. They were caught up in their own moment, just as it should have been. Following the couple’s first dance, Lyndsay and her dad shared a father daughter dance to Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Cinderella.” I saw quite a few wedding attendees wiping away tears. Thomas and his mom danced their mother and son dance to “My Son” by Mikki Viereck.

Once all the dancing was complete the Bride and Groom got to one of the most guest anticipated moments of the evening: The garter retrieval, and the bouquet toss. Once the bouquet, which had to be thrown sideways due to the giant, beautiful chandelier hanging above the dance floor, and the garter flung to the sea of men, “Love Shack” filled the room and everyone began dancing. The Bride made her way to the dance floor waving the train of her dress around at her husband, and their wedding party joined them, their hair coming undone with beers and drinks in hand. Soon everyone joined in on the dancing. Everyone wanted to dance and celebrate Lyndsay and Thomas!

Lyndsay and Thomas or should we say Mr. and Mrs. SmythThe Beatles said it best, “All you need is love!”You’ve made that very clear to us.

We, at Double H Photo, wish you all the best in your marriage! xoxo Hannah, Robyn and Tara